Three Separate Individuals Arrested for a Total of Six Carjackings

Three Separate Individuals Arrested for a Total of Six Carjackings

SAN JUAN, PR—On December 10 and 11, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned three indictments against three defendants charged with carjacking and firearms offenses, announced today Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. The indictments are the result of a joint effort between the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO), the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Save Our Streets Initiative (SOS) and the Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD).

Luis Dávila Crespo committed a series of carjackings from November 30 to December 4 throughout the San Juan metro area, in which individuals were violently carjacked with a knife. One carjacking involved a 93-year old male victim, and a separate carjacking occurred on the property of a church where the victim, a parishioner, was threatened with being stabbed.

The other two indictments charge Victor M. Rodríguez Cruz and Kevin Arias Rivera with armed carjackings, on September 19, 2014, and December 8, 2014, respectively. Both of those carjackings occurred at the residences of the victims were they were threatened with firearms.

On December 8, 2014, Arias Rivera was involved in a high-speed chase with the Puerto Rico Police Department seeking to evade apprehension that ended with the carjacked vehicle being flipped-over in the Luquillo area.

“The investigations of FBI special agents and designated PRPD officers will continue into similar crimes in other areas of Puerto Rico,” said U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. “The collaboration and team work between state and federal law enforcement agencies in the investigation and prompt filing of charges show the immediate results we continue to obtain with this joint initiative.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke Cass is in charge of the prosecution of all three cases. If convicted, the defendants could face up to life in prison. Indictments contain only charges and are not evidence of guilt. Defendants are presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.